Tag: Biovision Seed Labs

SGS announced the acquisition of BioVision Seed Labs on Friday. Founded in 1996, BioVision employs 20 staff between its headquarters in Sherwood Park and facilities in Winnipeg and Grand Prairie. The company offers seed, grain and soil testing across a broad variety of crops. Its labs and experts are accredited under CFIA, CSI and ISO… Read More

Aphanomyces is a soil-borne water mold thatcauses devastating root rots in pulses, especially pea and lentil crops. Unfortunately for farmers, the aphanomyces spores can live in the soil for 10 years, and thrive under wet conditions. That means, not only has this root rot advanced rapidly across many areas of Saskatchewan and Alberta, but it’s… Read More

As the calendar spins into 2017, we reflect that the 2016 harvest was one farmers will not soon forget. As spring gets closer, farmers need to consider ensuring they have the appropriate seed quality suitable for planting. Shaun Haney talks to Holly Gelech, Biovsion Seed Labs about the quality of the 2016 harvest from a… Read More

For this episode of Under the Microscope, we take you into the depths of BioVision Seed Labs’ Sherwood Park laboratory, to hear last minute seed test recommendations from Sydney Vos, marketing coordinator with BioVision. In the video, Vos gives an overview of four of the most important tests to consider, including: Germination Cool Stress Vigour… Read More

After years of filming Under the Microscope over Skype, and in crowded trade show hallways, we are beyond excited to publish the next two episodes of our series with BioVision Seed Labs, filmed from their Sherwood Park laboratory. In this episode, Holly Gelech, business development manager, walks us through the company’s treasured herbarium. When most of us think… Read More

There’s no shortage of less than stellar wheat out there — the weather near the end of summer and early fall was not kind to harvest or the resulting grain (remember all that snow in September, Alberta?). While some quality parameters aren’t deal breakers and might be managed through bumping seeding rates, others can’t be… Read More

Testing for clubroot falls into an interesting classification — it’s a disease, yes, but it’s in soil. Do you send samples to a soil lab or a seed lab? In this edition of Under the Microscope, Holly Gelech, business development manager with Biovision Seed Labs, walks us through how labs test for clubroot and while… Read More

The hangover of 2014’s long, drawn out, wet harvest has already taken a toll on seed supplies of certain crop types for 2015, says Holly Gelech, Biovision Seed Lab’s business development manager. The full fallout, however, has likely not been realized. “Farmers did a great job this fall getting seed samples in early,” says Gelech,… Read More

Change happens fast in agriculture. Just a century ago, Canadian farmers were behind a horse and plow. Today, we talk about cab comfort, the potential for unmanned aerial vehicle spraying, smart phone apps and biotechnology. The seed industry is no different. The process of collecting and testing a sample of seed is continually evolving as well…. Read More

Using glyphosate as a harvest aid and weed management tool most certainly has its place on the farm, but it carries a measure of risk, as well. Go in too early and not only can you rob the crop of yield, but the resulting seed may also end up damaged by the chemical application. Related:… Read More

Calling them the soybeans of Alberta isn’t being fair to soybeans, but faba beans are enjoying a similar surge in popularity, due in part to the crop’s ability to fix its own nitrogen and broaden farmers’ marketing options. Being a relatively new (or newly popular, depending on how you look at it) crop for many… Read More

In farming, we want two very opposite things from seed — we want a seed that stores well, perhaps even long term, but also a seed that, the moment conditions are right, it speedily germinates and becomes a hardy seedling. You can’t always have it both ways, of course, and the inner workings of a… Read More

Let’s say the planning stages go like this: crop rotation, variety selection, seed testing, determine seeding rate and so on. If you’re a farmer who doesn’t typically test seed or who may be thinking of skipping this step in an effort to save on costs, this episode of the Pulse School is for you. In… Read More

Seed that looks mature and healthy but won’t sprout could be dormant. What does this mean for seed supplies, and is there anything special you should do before sending in seed samples for testing to try and break it? No, says Holly Gelech, business development manager with Biovision Seed Labs. Dormant seeds are still considered… Read More

Seeding winter wheat while you’re busy with harvest can take some time to wrap your head around. At the same time, there are several advantages to breaking out the seeder after the canola comes off the field. While the weather and soil conditions may be significantly different for September seeding than May, the importance of… Read More